Do birds of a feather flock together or do opposites attract? Does haste make waste or should you strike while the iron is hot? Adages like these—or conventional wisdoms—shape our social life. This Fifth Edition of Second Thoughts reviews several popular beliefs and notes how such adages cannot be taken at face value.
This unique text encourages students to step back and sharpen their analytic focus with 24 essays that use social research to expose the gray areas of commonly held beliefs, revealing the complexity of social reality and sharpening students’ sociological vision.
Janet M. Ruane (Ph.D. Rutgers University) is Associate Professor of Sociology at Montclair State University. In past years, she served as coordinator of Undergraduate Advising at Montclair. Currently, she is the advisor of the Graduate Program in Applied Sociology. Professor Ruane's research interests include formal and informal social control mechanisms, domestic violence, media and technology, and applied sociology. She has contributed articles to several journals, including Sociological Inquiry, Law and Policy, Communication Research, Sociological Focus, The Journal of Applied Sociology, Science As Culture, Simulation and Games, and The Virginia Review of Sociology. She is currently at work on a book addressing family businesses. Over the years Professor Ruane has gained considerable classroom experience, teaching both introductory and advanced level sociology courses as well as graduate courses in applied sociology.
